As is well known, many modern vehicles are designed and manufactured to produce a relatively airtight passenger cabin to minimize road noise. However, due to the efficient sealing of these cabins, passengers may experience a sudden pressure burst when a vehicle door is shut or the vehicle ventilation system is activated. Accordingly, vehicle manufactures have traditionally employed cabin exhausters to allow this pressure inside the cabin to be quickly exhausted outside the vehicle. These exhausters are commonly seen in vehicle door jams. However, it should be appreciated that the size of these exhausters is restricted due to the area available in these door jams locations.
Recently, there has been a trend in many vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, to position exhausters in the rear, sheet metal wall of the cabin, also known as the cab back. This location affords greater flexibility in exhauster design; namely, this location enables the size of the exhausters to be maximized to increase airflow. However, it should be appreciated to those skilled in the art that this mounting position in the cab back provides a direct path for noise infiltration into the passenger cabin. This direct noise path may also increase the level of vibration and harshness experienced in the passenger cabin. Furthermore, mounting of conventional trim panels against the cab back may limit the airflow from the cabin to the exhausters.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a cab back trim panel that is capable of providing sufficient air exchange between the passenger cabin and the exhausters. Furthermore, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a trim panel that is capable of minimizing the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) that enter the passenger compartment through the exhausters.